just when they came out with this statement, ISI chief spoke out and said, US should forget about Afridi, he ruled out handing over Dr. Afridi to US.
Says Pakistan hasn’t formally sought an exchange yet; praises Afridi’s role in OBL killing; says drones not aimed at infringing any country’s sovereignty; calls Nawaz ‘sensible leader’
By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
**ISLAMABAD: Acting US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Hoagland on Thursday revealed that Pakistan had never formally sought the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for Dr Shakil Afridi, who is convicted of treason charges, but added that the United States can consider the release of Dr Aafia in exchange for Dr Afridi and is prepared to provide him shelter in the United States. **
In an exclusive chat with The News at a diplomatic reception, Richard Hoagland said during the cold-war, his country had exchanged prisoners with the defunct Soviet Union, which was done through backdoor interactions. Like with Russia, the US has no formal agreement with Pakistan for the exchange of prisoners. “But everything is possible in this world, if the will exists,” he said with a broad smile.
The US ambassador was of the view that Dr Shakil Afridi played an important and praiseworthy role in reaching and killing Osama bin Laden. “He deserves every laurel for that role and Pakistan should also eulogies the work done by Afridi,” the ambassador said.
About drone attacks in tribal areas, the acting US ambassador reiterated that the purpose of using drones was not to infringe the sovereignty of any country in any way, but to target terrorists. He said drones did not take off from the soil of Pakistan as they were kept away from Pakistan. When asked if they fly from Afghanistan, he parried the question, saying: “They do not flying from Pakistan”. The perception with regards the use of the drones is different here and in Washington. Pakistan has been cribbing about their use, he added. To another question, Richard Hoagland said: “General John Allen, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, was scheduled to visit Pakistan on Thursday, but his trip has been put off due to sudden malfunctioning in his special plane.”
Incidentally the plane developed some snag at the eleventh hour just before his departure, forcing him to postpone the visit to meet Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani.
The postponement of his visit has no political connotation at all. General Allen immediately contacted General Kayani to inform him about the technical fault in his plane and consequent delay in his visit. He is likely to visit Pakistan later,the acting US ambassador insisted.
He said Pakistan and United States would have a special meeting of the working group on energy in early October in Washington where Pakistan’s energy needs would come up for thorough discussion. Various working groups will also meet in September when Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visits the US. Richard Hoagland termed Khar’s visit to Washington of significant importance, saying she would have extensive discussions with her counterpart Hillary Clinton in the US State Department. He expressed his surprise at the way the education sector is being ignored in Pakistan and said his country was prepared to assist Pakistan in this field.
The US envoy said the US administration and state departments were keen to dispatch the new US ambassador in Islamabad at the earliest as Richard G Olson had already been designated for the slot. The US Senate will be resuming on September 10 after recess and it will continue in session for three weeks before proceeding on long recess for general elections. If the senator, who has blocked the conformation of new ambassador in the Senate, withdraws his objection, the new ambassador could travel to Pakistan once the conformation of the Capitol Hill is made, Hoagland said. He termed his meeting with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Lahore a day earlier an excellent event and said he was impressed with the views expressed by the former prime minister. “Nawaz Sharif is a sensible and true political leader of Pakistan and I had a useful exchange of views with him,” the ambassador added.